Chapter 543: Treasure Detection Skill
"Teachability shows promise."
Eiji nodded subtly to himself. Buying this particular house hadn't been in vain—he'd been waiting precisely for those words!
"Grrrrooowl!"
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed through the shop.
Eiji glanced over to find Wiz blushing faintly while clutching her stomach.
"Actually... Lady Aqua doused me with holy water first thing this morning, trapping me inside the shop. I couldn't go out and missed breakfast entirely..." she mumbled in explanation.
"Liches get hungry too?"
"The sensation exists, though liches have infinite lifespans so starvation won't kill us. It's just... extremely unpleasant. That's why I maintain a twice-daily eating habit normally."
"Twice?"
"Can't afford three."
"Right."
Eiji's mouth twitched. With poverty like hers, who could she possibly blame?
"Let's get lunch first. We'll discuss the rest afterward."
Having recently slain a manticore and hydra, Eiji currently boasted assets worth hundreds of millions. Money was the least of his concerns.
"Really?!"
Wiz's eyes suddenly sparkled as she wiped drool from her mouth.
"In that case... could I have fresh vegetables? If not, I'll settle for dead things! Or even just roasted potato cakes!"
"Out of curiosity... what do you normally eat?"
"Sugar water. And bean sprouts."
Wiz answered with complete honesty.
"...I'm taking you out for a proper meal."
Eiji covered his face.
Suddenly, he felt overwhelming guilt about pressuring someone this destitute for debt repayment.
"No—wait!"
Eiji snapped back to clarity.
"If she sells herself, she'll eat well and live comfortably! No more debts, no rent payments! What blissful living! Viewed this way, I'm actually doing her a favor!"
Having reached this enlightened conclusion, Eiji swelled with pride.
What an absolutely magnificent humanitarian he was!
....
Noon approached in Axel, the busiest hour for its residents.
Farmers harvested freshly matured autumn swordfish in the fields while chefs dueled with spring bamboo shoots in training grounds. Adventurers streamed back from wilderness expeditions, filling the beginner's village with vibrant energy.
Particularly noticeable these past two days was the sudden increase of people wearing magnificent armor. High-level adventurers between levels 30-40, once rare sightings, now appeared frequently—even figures with black hair and red eyes or black hair and dark eyes could be spotted.
"I keep wondering... does the Demon King title carry any intimidation factor at all?"
Strolling through the streets, Eiji clicked his tongue and tilted his head in displeasure.
"Even after announcing the Demon King's permanent residence in the suburban castle—granted without any 'submit or die' threats—barely anyone moved away. Isn't this downright disrespectful to the Demon King's position?"
At minimum, there should be some visible panic. Yet the air carried not even a whiff of fear—what gives? Looking down on him?
"Because knowing changes nothing."
Wiz rubbed her stomach, eyes gleaming in anticipation of her long-awaited feast.
"Wilderness monsters are everywhere. Nobody wants to risk death by relocating."
Besides, human adaptability was remarkably strong.
Since nothing happened before, I believe nothing will happen in the future. Even if something does happen, there's no way to resist it. Let the higher-ups in the kingdom deal with troublesome matters—us common folk can't do anything about it even if we knew.
There are definitely quite a few people with this kind of slacker mentality.
"By the way, Wiz, can you sense divine artifacts?"
Eiji watched the adventurers coming and going.
His gaze lingered particularly on those with black hair and black eyes. Though not many, there seemed to be several, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"If they show some form or unleash their power, I should be able to recognize them."
"I can do that too. What I mean is searching for divine artifacts without any prior signs, like enemy detection."
"In that case, you could learn the [Detect Treasure] skill!"
After thinking for a moment, Wiz offered a suggestion.
"Detect Treasure?"
Eiji raised an eyebrow—there was such a skill?
"Exactly. It's a thief-class skill that only costs 2 skill points to learn."
Wiz explained, "As long as you're within a certain range of treasure, you'll automatically sense it. As for what counts as 'treasure,' that depends on how you define it."
What?
Isn't that an incredibly convenient skill?!
Eiji pulled out his adventurer card and began searching through the list of nearly a hundred learnable skills.
He hadn't properly reviewed this list in days—what a waste!
Truthfully, he'd been saving his skill points to learn Teleportation Magic, so he hadn't paid much attention to other skills.
"Found it—Detect Treasure. Learn!"
He tapped the skill with his finger.
Two skill points were deducted, but he naturally mastered the skill.
He immediately began sensing carefully.
If there was any "treasure" he wanted, it could only be divine artifacts!
Everything else was useless to him—ideally, a sword-type divine artifact!
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind, Eiji's eyes snapped open.
There's a reaction!
"Kyouya, are we really going to challenge the Demon King again?"
"Isn't that Demon King super strong? Didn't we almost die last time?"
"No, I don't plan to challenge him. I just have something I want to confirm with him."
It turned out to be a handsome guy holding a demon sword, accompanied by two female followers.
"Tch, just a demon sword guy."
Eiji scoffed.
Wait!
Another reaction!
Eiji quickly turned his gaze in a new direction.
His heart raced with excitement.
I knew my approach was right!
Using the Demon King's name to attract strong individuals from all over the world—there must be tons of reincarnators among them!
Reincarnators carrying divine artifacts were precisely Eiji's goal for declaring his permanent stay in the beginner's village!
"You damn shut-in NEET, can't you just calm down?!"
"Shut up, Aqua! Don't stop me—I'm going to the castle outside town to see the boss! No matter how much you try to stop me, I won't change my mind! Boss, your most beloved underling is coming!!"
Eiji pondered briefly.
His gaze then settled on the purple feathered robe Aqua was wearing.
"Wiz, do you know what that thing does?"
"Aqua-sama's feathered robe? I think it grants immunity to all abnormal status effects. I heard her mention it once."
"I see."
Eiji nodded thoughtfully.
"Wait, Mr. Nangou... you're not planning to steal Aqua-sama's divine artifact, are you?"
Wiz saw his thoughtful expression and suddenly looked horrified.
"How could that be? The power of that divine artifact is too ordinary, and no matter how you think about it, a feather robe is something girls wear. Why would I ever try to steal it?"
Eiji waved his hand dismissively, his face saying "you're overthinking it."
But his eyes remained fixed on Aqua's feather robe.
Wiz was completely unconvinced.